I Tried This Cat Water Bowl Fountain and Will Never Go Back to a Normal Bowl

My cats love water. Like, a lot. So much so that most of the contents of their water bowl would routinely be splashed across my kitchen floor. Instead of a vessel for drinking, they seemed to see it as another thing to play with. One would drop a Q-tip (his favorite toy) into the dish to watch it float and bat it around; the other would pull any towel I laid down into the water, too. 

The result was anything but sanitary. Along with the aforementioned toiletries, their water would be saturated with cat food bits, dust, and kitty litter tracked in with their paws. Something had to change (other than their water, which I was refreshing constantly throughout the day). 

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So I decided to do what any good millennial cat mom would do and tried a product I saw on TikTok: the Catit Flower Plastic Cat Fountain. With three flow settings for you to choose from, you just need to plug it in, place the filter, and pour water over the top. 

Though my fur babies tried to splash the trickling water when I first set it up, they quickly decided it wasn't as fun as their old water dish. And even if they do try to stick their toe beans in it, the triple-action filter makes sure their drinking water stays clean.

The kitty water fountain is big enough to hold a few days worth of water (even in my multi-cat house) and is surprisingly silent as it runs. When it is ready for a refill, it's easy to tell because of the water level indicator on its side.

Frankly, this fountain has been a game changer. Gone are the mornings of soaking my socks as I try to make coffee. And instead of refilling their bowl with fresh water throughout the day, I just replace the filter monthly. 

Fountains aren't just for messy drinkers—Laura Cassiday, MS, CCBC, ABCCT, says they can also encourage your cat to drink more water.

"Cats do instinctively prefer moving water over still water," Cassiday says. She says still water in the wild is known to attract bacteria, bugs, parasites, and mold more than moving water like a stream, which is less likely to be contaminated. "Water dishes can go against those natural instincts, and you may notice that your cat will only drink from the dish if the water is very fresh and changed frequently. This is also why cats like to drink from your sink and bathtub!"

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And while my cats took to their new fountain right away, the transition might not be as seamless for some routine-loving kitties. Cassiday recommends giving your cats access to their old water dish and the new fountain at the beginning and monitor their water intake.

There are a lot of cat fountains to choose from, and all provide kitty with fresh water. Here are a few more of our favorites.